MinuteClinic enters New Hampshire, forms new clinical collaboration

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has expanded to its 28th state with the opening of clinic locations inside select CVS/pharmacy stores in New Hampshire, and the clinic operator also has formed a new clinical collaboration with Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the largest healthcare system in New Hampshire.

Clinics are now open in Concord and West Lebanon. A Salem clinic will open Dec. 11, and locations in Hampton, Manchester and Nashua will open in early January, the company stated.

With the opening of these six new locations, MinuteClinic launches a new clinical collaboration with Dartmouth-Hitchcock, which has a network of nearly 1,500 physicians.

Under the agreement, Dartmouth-Hitchcock physicians will serve as medical directors for MinuteClinic in New Hampshire and collaborate on patient education and disease management initiatives.

MinuteClinic's entry into New Hampshire is part of its national expansion plan to open 150 clinics nationwide in 2013.

"As we have experienced in other states, MinuteClinic can support the primary care model in New Hampshire by helping to improve access to affordable care at convenient locations close to where patients live and work," said Andrew Sussman, president of MinuteClinic and SVP/associate chief medical Officer of CVS Caremark. "Our affiliation with Dartmouth-Hitchcock, which has a national reputation for clinical quality and patient centered care, will help us extend the best treatment at the lowest overall cost for patients and employers."

The medical directors, family physicians from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Primary Care practices, will provide support and quality review of care provided by MinuteClinic's licensed nurse practitioners. They will also serve in a liaison role between community physicians and the MinuteClinic sites, enhancing collaboration between providers.

"Our commitment to creating a sustainable health system for the people and communities of our region requires that we deliver care in new ways that are convenient, accessible, high quality and lower cost," said Dartmouth-Hitchcock CEO and president James N. Weinstein. "This partnership with MinuteClinic exactly fits our strategic priorities of improving the health of our population, providing value-based care and using different payment models to reduce costs."

MinuteClinic and Dartmouth-Hitchcock will begin to work toward integrating electronic medical record systems to streamline communication around all aspects of each individual's care. With patient permission, MinuteClinic will electronically share medical histories and visit summaries with other Dartmouth-Hitchcock locations in New Hampshire with the goal of coordinating primary care among those patients who are part or seek to be part of D-H Primary Care services.

In the meantime, MinuteClinic will continue its standard practice of sending patient visit summaries to primary care providers via fax or mail, typically within 24 hours, with patient consent.

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